DIY Instax Wallpaper

I have always wanted a wall in my home that was completely filled with photos! A couple weeks ago I got it stuck in my brain that this wall in our studio was the perfect spot. There were a couple challenges, though: 1. The wall is HUGE. 2. I don't have that many instant photos or film. 3. Even if I did buy enough film to fill the whole wall it would cost thousands of dollars and probably take months (or years?) to take enough photos. 

So, I came up with a solution. We "wallpapered" this wall with color copies. The cons: They are not real photos, and they do repeat. The pros: It was done in a couple days, and I can now (slowly) cover the repeats with real photos over the next few years. One more pro: We're in love with it! The photo wall makes our studio room a happier place to work. 

Here's how we did it:My brother helped me design 11x17 inch images with 9 Instax wide sized photos per sheet. We then created 4 different sheets with different photos. You could always do more if you wanted to reduce repeat photos! We measured the wall and ordered about 130 sheets on 80 lb card stock. We found an inexpensive local printer that did them for around $1 per sheet, so the entire wall only cost about $130! We got the sheets printed and trimmed. Next, we adhered them to the wall. We started with just sturdy double sided tape strips. This didn't work for our wall, so we started using a staple gun. Obviously, someday we will have a lot of staples to pull, but I am ok with that. I plan to keep this wall up for a couple years, so It was worth it to me. If you have satin paint you may not need a staple gun. I made an instagram collage in our last home using only masking tape. It was up for more than 6 months with pretty minimal curling. 

So, we adhered and stapled the sheets to the wall. We had to cut some to fill in the leftover space around the edges of the wall at the end. This took an entire afternoon with Katie and Kinsey cutting and stapling. Not bad considering the size of this wall!  

Note: We created the wallpaper to match the exact size of Fujifilm INSTAX Wide photos. We chose this instead of polaroid because the film is fairly inexpensive and accessible. It's our favorite instant camera.Now that it is fully installed I will be covering some of the repeat photos with real Instax photos. I love that I can do this over time and that I don't have to wait until I collect a thousand photos to create the wall! It's so much less pressure. :)Ta-Da! Here's a photo of the finished product! I am super thrilled with the outcome. It has so much personality. I hope that this tutorial encourages some of you to try a photo statement wall. I am completely pleased with the quality, the price and the time it took us to install the wallpaper. It was a fun project and something we will enjoy for a long time. Have any of you created a photo wall? Is this something you would try? 

XO! Elsie 

Comments

[Nicole]

We have a partial instax wall in our house. I love it. The wide is my favorite as well. Wish they had more accessories for it! Also, I recently covered my flash with some white and yellow checkered washi tape which has made it possible for me to take photos inside without a super harsh flash. Now I am going through film twice as fast...

[LARY@ Inspiration Nook]

IN LOVE WITH THIS!!!!

[Jenna Austin]

WOW! That is an impressive wall.
I had done something similar with all of my photos from middle and high school in my bedroom at my parent's house. We had the ugliest wallpaper in the room I shared with my little sister. The best idea was to just cover it up. All my friends were jealous because their parents would never let them do something like that.

Thanks for the reminiscing!

[Robertinaz]

This is by far the best decor idea. Ever!
Congrats!!!!

[Laura]

amazing ! love it !
NEW post up: http://www.thestilettoholic.com/

[Elizabeth Lewis]

That's literally the coolest thing I've seen.. ever. It's awesome!
Liz
http://liz-makes.blogspot.com/

[Sabrina]

Holy cow, this is amazing. I'm speechless! I need to get me one of those cameras!

Sabrina
http://bbutterflybrain.blogspot.com/

[Dr. Appearance & Mr. Likeness]

I love it!!! I always wanted a wall covered in photos. Thanks for the idea!

[Mary]

WOW. How do you think all this stuff up? I've had walls just dedicated to photos but never considered this. I really like it so it might have to have a space in our new apartment!

[Valentina]

wow this is rad!

Valentina
http://valentinaduracinsky.blogspot.com/

[Renae]

I think it looks great! And a great idea to get the wall done but then be able to add to it as you go! Love it!

[Ana]

This is just amazing! You guys have best ideas. I will try something like this but a little bit smaller.

Have a lovely weekend!
Ana

[Helen]

This is so amazing! I used to cover my walls with pictures I'd taken when I was younger, just bluetacking them to the walls but this is so much better, partly I think because of the white border it keeps it looking bright and light, a really fun wall
http://ahandfulofhope.blogspot.co.uk/

[melissa]

I absolutely love this idea. Great & fun way to display your photos!

Melissa
http://shakeshakee.blogspot.com

[jesspants]

Your wall is SO FAB! Thanks for sharing! :)

[Marielle]

I love this! Such a great idea. i have part of my wall covered in a wallpaper that shows the outline of photo frames; I used the wallpaper to stick real pictures on in the frames: it looks really playful and fun. But I love your wall too! Maybe something for a next project ;)

[Monique]

I love this. A very cool way to personalize your studio space. I'm working on creating a statement wall in my studio as well. I just freed up some wall space and I'm itching to do something to it.

[Talia Christine]

Now THIS is a brilliant idea! I tried to make a photo wall using Instax and sticky tak and they all eventually fell off or shifted. You so smaaaart. ;)

♥ Talia Christine
http://taliachristine.blogspot.com

[Rachael]

love it and have pinned it for future yes! Rachael xo

[Sierra Nunley-Gross]

What does your brother do? And how many siblings do you ladies have?

oh and great idea!